Knut, Berlin's beloved polar bear, back on show

Knut, the hand-reared polar bear who captured Germans' hearts before his early death in 2011, returned to his adoring Berlin public as a life-sized model bearing the animal's real fur.

Knut will stand for a month in the entrance foyer of the city's natural history museum, which has modified its entrance for the anticipated rush of visitors, a museum spokeswoman said.

The museum is keen to stress that Knut has not been stuffed. Rather, a replica of the bear was made, based on Knut's skeleton, in one of his favourite poses, and this was covered with the creature's pelt, in a procedure known as dermoplasty.

Crowd pleaser ... Knut lives on at the Natural History Museum in Berlin, Germany. Photo: Getty

"I think people will accept Knut, because this is a very dignified model.. People who knew Knut very well while he was alive recognise their Knut here again."

Knut was the star attraction of Berlin zoo during his four-year life. His mother rejected him as a new-born leaving the fluffy white cub to be reared by a zookeeper. Thousands of visitors queued for hours to watch him frolic in his enclosure, and he inspired a dizzying array of merchandise.